Iran to hold funerals for top commanders, scientists killed in Israel strikes: State media
Iran will hold funerals for the top commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes on the country, according to Iranian state media.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
20 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Says it Targeted Nuclear Sites in Iran's Natanz and Arak
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had targeted the Arak nuclear reactor in Iran overnight and struck what it said was a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. Among its nuclear sites, Iran had a partially built heavy-water research reactor originally called Arak and now Khondab. Iranian media reported on Thursday morning that air defenses were activated in the area of the Khondab nuclear facility, with two projectiles hitting an area close to it. Officials told Iranian state TV that evacuations were made prior to the strikes and that no risks of radiation or casualties were detected. There was no mention of any damage. Natanz, which Israel had previously struck during its six-day-old aerial war with Iran, was the site of a complex at the heart of Iran's nuclear program that included two enrichment plants. The Israeli military added that it targeted the structure of the reactor's core seal in Arak, which it identified as a key component in plutonium production. Khondab hosts a partially-built heavy-water research reactor. Construction was halted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and the reactor's core was removed and filled with concrete to make it unusable. However, Iran informed the UN's nuclear watchdog it planned to start operating the reactor in 2026. Heavy-water reactors pose a nuclear proliferation risk because they can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of a bomb. Iran says its nuclear program, the target of Israeli strikes, is purely for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has been urging Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites. IAEA inspectors reportedly last visited Arak on May 14. Due to restrictions Iran imposed on inspectors, the IAEA has said it lost 'continuity of knowledge' about Iran's heavy water production -- meaning it could not absolutely verify Tehran's production and stockpile. As part of negotiations around the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to sell off its heavy water to the West to remain in compliance with the accord's terms. Even the US purchased some 32 tons of heavy water for over $8 million in one deal. That was one issue that drew criticism from opponents to the deal.
Al Arabiya
24 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Iraq jails commentator for saying country was helping Israel conflict against Iran
Iraqi authorities said they arrested a political commentator on Wednesday over a post alleging that a military radar system struck by a drone had been used to help Israel in its conflict against Iran. After a court issued a warrant, the defense ministry said that Iraqi forces arrested Abbas al-Ardawi for sharing content online that included 'incitement intended to insult and defame the security institution.' In a post on X, which was later deleted but has circulated on social media as a screenshot, Ardawi told his more than 90,000 followers that 'a French radar in the Taji base served the Israeli aggression' and was eliminated. Early Tuesday, hours before a ceasefire ended the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, unidentified drones struck radar systems at two military bases in Taji, north of Baghdad, and in southern Iraq, officials have said. The Taji base hosted US troops several years ago and was a frequent target of rocket attacks. There has been no claim of responsibility for the latest drone attacks, which also struck radar systems at the Imam Ali airbase in Dhi Qar province. A source close to Iran-backed groups in Iraq told AFP that the armed factions have nothing to do with the attacks. Ardawi is seen as a supporter of Iran-aligned armed groups who had launched attack US forces in the region in the past, and of the pro-Tehran Coordination Framework, a powerful political coalition that holds a parliamentary majority. The Iraqi defense ministry said that Ardawi's arrest was made on the instructions of the prime minister, who also serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, 'not to show leniency towards anyone who endangers the security and stability of the country.' It added that while 'the freedom of expression is a guaranteed right... it is restricted based on national security and the country's top interests.' Iran-backed groups have criticized US deployment in Iraq as part of an anti-extremist coalition, saying the American forces allowed Israel to use Iraq's airspace. The US-led coalition also includes French troops, who have been training Iraqi forces. There is no known French deployment at the Taji base. The Iran-Israel conflict had forced Baghdad to close its airspace, before reopening on Tuesday shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire.
Arab News
39 minutes ago
- Arab News
Zambian government tries to stop a former president's funeral taking place in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG: The Zambian government filed last-minute legal papers seeking to stop the private burial of former President Edgar Lungu in South Africa on Wednesday, forcing members of Lungu's family to attend a court hearing dressed in their black funeral attire. The hearing in the South African administrative capital, Pretoria, began around an hour before Lungu's funeral service was due to take place. It was not clear when a judge would issue a ruling and if the ex-leader could be buried. Meanwhile, mourners arrived for the funeral service at a Johannesburg church around 60 kilometers away. The court challenge was the latest development in a nearly monthlong dispute between Lungu's family and the Zambian government over where and how the former leader is buried. The Zambian government wants Lungu to have a state funeral at home – something Lungu's family have refused to allow because of his bitter political feud with current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. Lungu, who was Zambia's leader from 2015 to 2021, died of an undisclosed illness in a South African hospital on June 5 at the age of 68. A state funeral for him in Zambia was canceled twice because of disagreements over the details. His family and lawyers said he left specific instructions that Hichilema should not attend his funeral, while the Zambian government said Hichilema was due to preside over the state funeral. Zambia's Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha filed papers in a South African court Tuesday seeking an urgent injunction to stop Wednesday's funeral, according to Zambia's national broadcaster ZNBC. The court papers demand that the former president be buried in Zambia with full military honors, as mandated by Zambian law and in keeping with the public interest, ZNBC reported. Zambia's government said it had already prepared a grave for Lungu at a cemetery where all presidents are traditionally buried. It added that any personal wishes must give way to the national interest. Lungu's family decided against repatriating his body and arranged their own funeral service and a private burial. Top members of Lungu's political party traveled to South Africa for the funeral. Lungu and Hichilema had a long history of political enmity in the southern African country. Lungu beat Hichilema in a 2016 presidential election, and his government imprisoned Hichilema for four months in 2017 on charges of treason because his convoy didn't give way to the president's motorcade on a road. The move to imprison Hichilema was widely criticized by the international community and Hichilema was released and the charges dropped. Hichilema defeated Lungu in a 2021 vote. Last year, Lungu accused Hichilema's government of using the police to restrict his movements and effectively place him under house arrest. Lungu also accused the government of interfering in a court case that prevented him from running again in next year's presidential election against Hichilema. The government denied the accusations.
